by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
But people were all curious and competitive. The more they put it this way, the more people desired to test it out. This discouragement was really no different from encouragement. That was especially true to those prideful heavenly geniuses. If they didn’t try it, it would be a humiliation.
Long Chen had never considered himself to be a heavenly genius, nor would he go risk his life for some idiot face.
He looked inside the light beam where you could see a single human figure. However, it was impossible to tell if it was male or female, nor was it possible to see how strong it was. His Spiritual Strength was unable to enter the light.
The most interesting thing was that even the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art wasn’t able to sense any threat from that figure. It was like it was just an ordinary person.
“Hehe, goodbye brother. I won’t be accompanying you.”
Long Chen smiled and pressed the first button. A light click rang out.
“You’ve chosen to fight. The level begins now.”
Just at this moment, a mechanical voice rang throughout the room. Long Chen’s face turned green and he roared, “What the fuck, I chose to give up!”
But as soon as he said that, he became dumbfounded. There had been two buttons, one to the left, and one to the right. He had pressed the left one.
He suddenly recalled that the words in the light screen had been written right to left. In other words, in ancient times, the first button was the right one.
Long Chen felt his head buzzing. His hair stood on end. How could he have neglected such an important point?! He had actually chosen this ultimate level that would definitely kill him.
8736 peak heavenly geniuses of ancient times had challenged this ultimate level, but only three had survived. This trial’s difficulty must have far surpassed his imagination.
He couldn’t help but curse. What was with this damn word game?! Why didn’t it clearly indicate which was first and which was second?!
Long Chen didn’t know how many of those 8736 people had also been conned by this word game like him. At the same time, he recalled a certain line he had read: those who could come here are all either extremely lucky, or extremely unlucky.
He felt like he was about to go crazy. It seemed he was always leaning toward the latter one, and immensely so. Whatever he tried to do, he would run into difficulty after difficulty. Nothing ever went smoothly.
The room began to shudder. The one hundred and eight pillars suddenly shot rays of light at Long Chen. Being enveloped by that light, he was unable to move.
Runes appeared in the air as he was enveloped by the light. Seeing those runes, Long Chen’s expression changed.
He was very familiar with those runes. In a moment, he recognized them to be his techniques’ runes!
They included his Battle Skills and magical arts. There were even Huo Long and Lei Long’s runes. Those runes flowed toward the central figure.
“What is going on?” These pillars had actually duplicated his techniques and transmitted them to that figure. He hadn’t been able to protect his runes at all.
It was like he was naked in front of that light, and all his secrets were laid bare. He could clearly sense some energy probing his body, replicating all the techniques he had trained in.
“The Nirvana Scripture!”
More runes floated out of his body. Those were the Nirvana Scripture’s runes. But they didn’t flow away. Instead, they circulated around his body. No matter how the one hundred and eight pillars tried, they were unable to strip those runes from his body.
“As expected, the Nirvana Scripture’s origin is extraordinary.”
Even the Earth Flame’s runes and the tribulation lightning’s runes had been duplicated without the slightest resistance. But the Nirvana Scripture didn’t allow it to happen to itself.
The pillars released a blinding light. They looked like blazing suns now, but no matter how they tried, they were unable to duplicate the Nirvana Scripture. After an incense stick’s worth of time, the Nirvana Scripture’s runes faded back within him. Long Chen was surprised that the pillars would just give up like this.
Long Chen still didn’t move. But suddenly, his divine ring appeared behind him, and four stars involuntarily appeared in his eyes.
“Crap, it’s trying to duplicate the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art!” Long Chen suddenly had a bad feeling. But then he became astonished.
The primal chaos bead had actually activated. A terrifying aura went through the rays of light enveloping him and directly struck the one hundred and eight pillars.
Chapter 820 Another Long Chen
BOOM!
The one hundred and eight pillars exploded. The entire room rocked back and forth.
Long Chen was appalled. Previously, the stone pillars had failed to duplicate the Nirvana Scripture. But when they had tried to duplicate the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art, it was like they had directly provoked the primal chaos bead, and they were blown apart.
Buzz.
The light enveloping Long Chen faded, and the light beam enveloping the mysterious figure also grew dim. When he clearly saw that figure, Long Chen couldn’t help being stunned.
In front of Long Chen was a figure wearing black robes. Its starry eyes were electric. It was actually a doppelganger of him! It raised a blood-red saber as it icily looked at Long Chen.
Seeing that movement, Long Chen hastily dodged to the side. A huge saber-image missed him by a hair’s breadth, shaking the ground.
It was actually Split the Heavens. He had only just dodged when the doppelganger pointed its finger. A ray of lightning shot out. It was incomparably quick and timed perfectly.
Long Chen smashed his fist forward. The lightning runes revolving over his fist clashed with the lightning arrow, and it exploded, sending Long Chen flying.
He was horrified. This level was too ridiculous. It had actually duplicated his techniques and formed an even stronger version of himself.
From that exchange, Long Chen had noticed that the doppelganger’s thunderforce was slightly stronger than his own.
As he flew back, the doppelganger swung its saber three times. Three saber-images slashed toward him from three different angles.
“Even Blooddrinker has been duplicated. And isn’t this move the Three Style Parting Wind?”
This move was clearly the Earth class Battle Skill he had learned back in Phoenix Cry. Now it was used by the doppelganger, and its power was extremely impressive. It sealed any retreat paths mercilessly.
At this moment, Long Chen wanted to dodge, but he couldn’t. His opponent’s moves were too refined. In truth, that was another him, and so it understood him. It was precisely because it understood him that he felt a chill.
His opponent’s fighting style was incredibly vicious. Each slash of its saber left him with no room to maneuver.
This was Long Chen’s first time seeing how frightful he himself was. Whistling filled the air as the saber slashes crashed over him like sea waves.
Suddenly, a sword came out of its sheath. Long Chen had no choice but to take out Flying Rainbow.
It was unknown what the laws of this place were, but the doppelganger’s saber was the same as Blooddrinker, and its power was also immense. It was no different from the original.
Flying Rainbow danced through the air. Long Chen was delighted to see that this unremarkable sword was extraordinary once he inserted his spiritual yuan. There was practically no spatial resistance, allowing it to move at incredible speed.
Suddenly, an explosive sound rang out. Long Chen and the doppelganger were both forced back a dozen meters, and it suddenly formed a hand seal, summoning a sea of gold around it.
“Fuck, you really know how to steal!” cursed Long Chen.
That sea of gold was the Hidden Ground Gold Spider King’s scales he had obtained in the first trial. He had been constantly nourishing them in his spiritual space. But even they had been duplicated.
Those scales were like ha
il, shooting toward him.
Long Chen knew that these scales were incredibly powerful once they were supported by Spiritual Strength. He didn’t dare to tarry and also summoned his own golden scales.
BOOM!
Two seas of gold crashed against each other. It was a truly spectacular sight.
Just as they were crashing together, he suddenly felt a change in the air. He also heard the doppelganger’s voice.
“Raging Flame Prison!”
Countless flame runes condensed around Long Chen, rapidly forming a cage that trapped him.
Long Chen’s expression instantly changed. This fellow had not just duplicated his techniques, but also all his battle experience. It understood how to use the scales to hide itself and release a killing blow. Even he had fallen for it.
“Raging Flame Prison!”
Long Chen also shouted and formed hand seals. His Raging Flame Prison wrapped around himself. This wasn’t an attack, but a defense.
The enemy’s Raging Flame Prison had come too quickly. If Long Chen tried to use the Raging Flame Prison to trap his opponent, with the doppelganger’s battle experience, it wasn’t very likely for him to be able to trap it. So he used it to instead protect himself.
The two flame prisons crackled against each other. The outer flame prison was trying to compress, while the inner flame prison was trying to expand. This was a competition of power without any technique.
Long Chen was appalled to see that his own flame prison was slowly being suppressed despite him pushing his spiritual yuan to its peak. His defensive range was shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye.
He suddenly realized why so many of those peak heavenly geniuses had died here. It was because they were facing a duplicate of themselves that was slightly stronger in every aspect.
All their moves were understood. All their battle experience and smarts were copied. This kind of battle could make a person despair.
In less than an incense stick’s worth of time, his flame prison had shrunk from a thousand meters wide to less than three hundred meters, and it was only continuing to grow smaller.
“Not only is it stronger than the original body, but it always remains in its peak state. It’s not even getting tired. This is clearly impossible! Your opponent is stronger than you in every aspect and doesn’t get tired. Also, it will not feel any negative emotions like panic, anxiety, or fear.
“But when a crack appears in the original’s heart, the duplicate will immediately take advantage. That will lead to an instant defeat. This trial is impossible.
“No wonder this trial couldn’t be placed on the main path. The failure rate is absolutely monstrous, so of course it had to be thrown to the side. This isn’t a trial, but a giant con. Who could possibly defeat someone stronger than themselves who stays in their peak state?” raged Long Chen.
“No, that’s wrong. Experts don’t get stronger by walking around blockades. No matter how strong the opponent is, they have to be defeated through power. That’s the only way to maintain an expert’s heart. Just because my opponent is myself, am I supposed to lose the courage to win? If that’s the case, then am I even a true expert?”
Long Chen suddenly realized something, and his eyes began to glow. He suddenly guessed this trial’s goal. Defeating powerful enemies could temper a person’s will and confidence. Then what would a person gain if they defeated a version of themselves that was stronger than them in every aspect?
At this moment, Long Chen’s Raging Flame Prison was growing smaller and smaller, and his own breathing was growing a bit hurried. But he wasn’t nervous. Instead, he had a faint smile.
“Sorry, but I’ll have to cheat a little before having a fair fight with you.” Long Chen suddenly summoned the Nirvana Scripture.
Chanting filled the air, and endless flame energy entered the flame prison. It instantly began to expand.
BOOM!
Once it grew to a size of three thousand meters, the outer flame prison exploded. With the Nirvana Scripture’s assistance, the Raging Flame Prison’s power could leap to a whole new level.
With the flame prison destroyed, Long Chen regained his freedom. But he didn’t immediately attack. Instead, he looked at the doppelganger that looked exactly the same as him.
“I swear that even if I have to be killed, I won’t use the Nirvana Scripture nor the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art. I want to have a fair fight with you. If I lose, it just proves that I’m useless.
“If I’m unable to defeat even you, how am I supposed to stand at the peak of the martial path? How am I supposed to find my parents? If I’m unable to defeat even you, how am I supposed to break through all the untold dangers and difficulties of the future?
“Am I supposed to abandon my family and live a life alone? Would that be any different than death? Am I supposed to watch my companions die while I can only just watch? If I had to endure that kind of pain and feeling of helplessness, would I still have the courage to keep living?
“I want to get stronger. I want to get stronger, so I will risk my life, truly putting my life on the line. Otherwise, the lives of those around me might vanish at any moment. So I can’t die.”
Long Chen suddenly put away the Nirvana Scripture and the Raging Flame Prison. Wielding his sword, he finally took the initiative to attack his doppelganger.
His eyes seemed to blaze with fire. He viewed his doppelganger as one of his shackles on his cultivation path. He had to personally break these shackles so that he could step into higher realms.
If he used the Nirvana Scripture or the divine ring or the battle armor, even if he defeated his doppelganger, it would leave a shadow on his heart. His undefeatable Dao-heart would be tainted.
He wasn’t a perfectionist, but he knew the slightest contamination would be a hindrance as he continuously broke through to higher realms in the future.
So to get stronger, he had no choice but to put his life on the line. He would use his own power to personally defeat himself.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM…!
Long Chen continuously used his full strength with each move. All he focused on was to bring out all his power. He forgot his techniques, he forgot his magical arts, he even forgot about victory and defeat, and even his own life. His thoughts were entirely dedicated to killing his opponent.
…
PFFT!
Blood splashed over and over. Long Chen was struck several times and heavily injured, but he ignored it. He fought crazily. He knew he couldn’t allow himself to die, and he also knew he had to kill his opponent. Sword-light and saber-images raged in the air as the cavern continuously shook, seeming like it might collapse at any moment.
BOOM!
A large hole appeared in Long Chen’s chest. His upper body was almost completely destroyed. But a smile appeared on his face.
“I won.”
Chapter 821 Nothing at the End
His chest had been pierced, and his body was about to fall apart. One could even see bones sticking out from one of his shoulders and both thighs. It was a ghastly sight.
But Long Chen’s sword had pierced through his opponent’s head. This was the result of Long Chen taking two nearly fatal injuries in the end.
The figure exploded into runes, which then transformed into a ray of light that shot toward a wall. Lines lit up on that wall, and a door appeared.
Long Chen collapsed on the ground. This battle had been too dangerous. Now that he had killed his opponent, he immediately went limp. He was this close to passing out.
Long Chen hadn’t used the Nirvana Scripture or the divine ring or the battle armor. He also hadn’t used the primal chaos bead’s healing ability.
Only now did he slowly draw out the life energy from the primal chaos space. His body began to heal.
He smiled self-mockingly. “I really am stupid. I actually had to compete with myself. But this is also good. It just once more proves that my theory is correct.”
In theory, a person could only
use one hundred percent of their power. But his theory was that this limit could be broken through willpower.
In the Xiao tribe, Long Chen had used this theory to help Xiao Fei awaken. And what had occurred this time also validated his theory.
If he had retreated at this time, it would have been a grave blow to his confidence. He probably wouldn’t even be able to believe his own bragging in the future.
So despite knowing it was foolish to the max, Long Chen had still chosen to use that exceedingly foolish method to challenge his limits.
As a result, he had succeeded. When he had succeeded in killing another version of himself that was stronger in every aspect, his mental realm had immediately become crystal clear. That increase in mental realm would bring unimaginable benefits to his future cultivation.
“Good thing these Spirit World trees have enough energy. Completely recovering only took a third of their life energy.”
Looking at those slightly dispirited trees in the primal chaos space, many emotions filled Long Chen. As expected, danger was directly proportional to profit.
Those trees possessed shocking amounts of life energy, which was good, as his physical body had already reached an extremely powerful level. He wouldn’t be easily injured, but once he was, it required a ridiculous amount of life energy to heal.
“Ah, fine. I don’t really need this Hidden Ground Gold Spider King’s corpse anyways.”
Long Chen thought about it and decided to toss the precious spider king’s corpse into the black soil as nutrients for the trees.
Although there were many precious parts to the spider king’s corpse, the most valuable thing to Long Chen was the life energy it could offer.
As its corpse sank into the black soil, endless life energy entered the dispirited trees. They once more began to flourish.
But there were too many trees that were splitting the nutrients. They grew a bit, but they were still a ways off their peak state.
Long Chen wasn’t worried about that. Instead, he was happy. The larger the trees grew, the more life energy they could hold.
